Never Look Back
by blackinkpen
Summary: My version of book 7. Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for the remaining horcruxes, we see the final battle between Harry and Voldemort, and a little romance for our favorite trio! HG RH and possibly some other pairings as well! read & review please!
1. Chapter 1

**Never Look Back**

**The moon sat, full and bright over Little Whinging. Despite this fact, it was still a very dark night, and the presence of the moon only made the shadows cast by the buildings below longer and more ominous. One house in particular, Number 4 Privet Dr., seemed even more dark and gloomy than any other on the street. Maybe it was just the shadows of the neighboring houses blocking out the moonlight, or maybe it was simply a trick of the imagination. Either way, one got a bad feeling walking by that house on this night. **

**Six people currently occupied the house. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were sleeping in the largest upstairs bedroom. Across the hall there son Dudley was snoring loudly. Next door, three teenagers sat crammed in a corner of the smallest room in the house. They had been talking for the better part of several hours, but now as midnight approached they all fell silent. Ron Weasley sat on the floor, his back rested against the wall, and his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. Across from him, Harry Potter sat on his bed, clearly deep in thought, staring out the window. Hermione Granger sat beside Ron on the floor. She too leaned against the wall, but her eyes were wide open, continuously moving between Harry and the clock on the wall, her hands kept fidgeting nervously.**

**The clock on the wall struck 12:00 am. Even from upstairs the chime of the old grandfather clock downstairs could be clearly heard. Ron was suddenly alert. Hermione, who could barely sit still by this time, looked uncertainly at Harry. The tension in the room was so thick; it seemed to be pressing down on them.**

"**Happy birthday, mate." Ron said, desperate to break the silence. Hermione glared irritably at him. **

"**Thanks." Harry mumbled in reply and he continued to stare out the window. He had been dreading this moment ever since he had arrived at the Dursley's. At this moment, he was no longer safe. No matter where he went, there was nothing protecting him any more. Any adults that he could have looked to for protection were gone. The ancient magic that had protected him for the last 16 years as long as he remained in his aunt and uncle's house had expired. There was nothing standing between him and the most powerfully evil wizard of all time any longer.**

**He was stirred from his thoughts by a sudden loud tapping on his bedroom window. Quickly, he opened the it to allow a large grey owl to fly into his room. It gazed at him with large yellow eyes as Harry removed a letter from its outstretched leg. Ron and Hermione got up to see who the letter was from. **

"**McGonagall?" Said Ron, "What's it say, Harry?" Harry read it through; it was barely a sentence long and hastily written. It said:**

**Be ready to leave before dawn.**

**Professor M. McGonagall**

**Author's Note: So what did you guys think? I know it's a pretty short/slow chapter, but it will get better! This is my first fanfic and I need feed back so please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"We cannot run forever."

"I refuse to be helped by mudbloods and traitors."

"Foolish boy, you do not realize what you are dealing with. It is only a matter of time before we are found and they kill us both." Draco Malfoy opened his mouth to protest. "Your father cannot save you. They would kill him too if he wasn't locked up in Azkaban." Draco shut his mouth again. He could find no decent argument against allowing the Order to hide him from Lord Voldemort. He looked down at the soggy ground, not wanting to look his former professor in the face.

"I might as well be dead if I go to them for help. The shame it would bring to my family… My father would probably kill me himself…" Malfoy muttered to himself.

"Your father is a coward who values his life more than his honor. The order will make accommodations for him as well— when he is released." Snape hissed. "Put that wand away." He snapped. Malfoy, looking livid, had drawn his wand, prepared to use the worst curses he knew against him.

"I will not go to them. I would sooner die than betray my family." He turned slowly away from Severus Snape, and stalked off, deeper into the darkness. Snape watched him go, all the while wondering how long the young man could single-handedly resist the wrath of his master. He turned, likewise, away from Draco's receding figure; he had other matters to attend to.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited impatiently downstairs, trunks packed and animals caged. It was only 2:00 am; McGonagall had said to be ready before dawn. That meant that they could be waiting for another three hours at least. Harry wondered how his uncle would react if he came downstairs for his morning coffee and found the three of them sitting in the living room; no doubt trying to ruin his perfect house with 'those bloody animals'. He was right in the middle of thinking up a good excuse for their setting, when he heard a gentle tap at the window. Harry spun around quickly to see what had caused it.

"Faux!" He jumped up eagerly to let the bird in.

"Faux?" Ron inquired, "But, what's he doing here?"

"Look, Harry, there's a note." Harry glanced down at the phoenix's leg and saw that there indeed was a piece of parchment tied to it. He untied it, rather carelessly, and hastily read the words that were scribbled upon it in Professor McGonagall's script.

Faux will escort you to headquarters.

It was even shorter than her last message had been. Ron and Hermione both read it and looked to Harry for further instruction.

"So, any idea what she means by that mate?" Ron asked.

"I think I might—I saw Dumbledore do it in a couple years ago. I think all we have to do is grab his tail feathers."

"But, Harry, what about all our stuff?" Hermione asked. Harry didn't know; he looked at Faux as if he might be able to tell them what to do. The phoenix just gazed lazily back at him.

"Maybe it works like a portkey," he thought aloud, "I think if we just grab his tail, and touch all our stuff, he'll bring it all with us." They gathered their trunks around them, and with one hand holding onto their belongings, they each outstretched a hand toward Faux.

"On the count of three, then," said Harry. "one… two… three!" Harry, Ron and Hermione each grabbed, gently, a portion of Faux's tail feathers. There was a sudden forward lurch, and their surroundings faded into nothingness around them. This mode of transportation, Harry found, was not nearly as uncomfortable as apparition, nor as painful as traveling by portkey. Faux seemed to be flying, in place, through a dark void. Only a few seconds passed before the darkness began to fade and the image of the Burrow kitchen began to materialize around them.

Harry glanced at his friends and saw that they to were puzzled as to why they were at the Burrow instead of Number 12 Grimmuald Place. Before they were given the chance to express there confusion, the stout form of Mrs. Weasley came hurrying toward them and gathered them all into a big group hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad you all made it here safely! I've just been so worried!" She greeted them. Harry glanced over her shoulder and felt his stomach do a back flip; Ginny was standing in the doorway, with an amused look on her face, staring directly at Harry.


End file.
